


A Single Stitch

by AnneMarkus



Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26616412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneMarkus/pseuds/AnneMarkus
Summary: A new student has just transferred into Summoner's Academy in the middle of the year, bringing with her a funny accent and unique customs. With odds stacked against her, it may well not matter how determined she is to be a social chameleon if they never give her a chance to begin with.A student has crossed the Rift between the boy's and girl's dorms at the academy this year, in a journey to find herself and who she wants to be. But away from her old company and among some not near as kind, she may well need a rock to lean herself upon.
Relationships: Taliyah/Neeko (League of Legends)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little prologue is in Neeko's home language, which Nidalee also speaks, and which I'll call Ixtali for simplicity's sake.

Jungle Cat   
  
**Today** 10:53 AM  
  
Nidalee!!  
  
Hey, look who's awake! I figured you'd sleep until the train stopped and someone had to go wake you up.  
  
Hey, it's a big day today, isn't it? I wasn't about to miss anything about it!!! I just wanted to make sure I was rested to do all the things!!!  
  
Plus, they had breakfast!! Why didn't you tell me all the food is so good!! Have you had this... I forget what they called it  
  
It's fluffy, and airy inside  
  
But not sweet!  
  
I... don't know what that is? But maybe we'll find some around town once you arrive, yeah? When's the train arrive?  
  
Oh  
  
Um  
  
I think it's arriving now  
  
I thought you said 12:30???  
  
So did I!!!  
  
Time zones, Neeks!  
  
hang on omw  
  
Sorry!! Sorry!!  
  
Take your time, I can wait!!!  
  
Nidalee?  
  
**Today** 11:07 AM  
  
Sorry, I'm in the Uber now.  
  
And calm down, Neeks! It's fine, I just wasn't expecting you so soon.  
  
Just means more time for me to show you around campus before lunch, right?  
  
yeah  
  
Yeah!!  
  
Well alright, I'm here, getting bags  
  
See you at entrance!!!  
  
See you soon, Neeko.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This won't be a full text fic, as much as I absolutely adore those~ But there will be texting segments, so this seemed like a fitting enough little teaser of an opening, help me get adjusted to the coding of the formatting. And if you're curious about how to do that yourself, check out CodenameCarrot's tutorials right here on Ao3!
> 
> Anyway, yeah! Short opener, just a warm up for them writer muscles, but I hope you'll all like what's yet to come, despite the odd pairing!


	2. Arrival

The little burger joint they went to wasn't anything too special, at least from appearance. Honestly, compared to the other buildings around it, so close to the Academy, it looked a bit dirty and run down. But Nidalee had promised that if she really wanted to experience all the good food the city had to offer, then this was the best place to start. While Neeko had her seat, her friend went off to the bathroom, leaving round yellow eyes to trail after her.

She'd changed so much, over the past... how many years now? It must have been nearing on ten. They'd kept in touch, of course, but... the difference was pretty stark, even if you weren't really looking for it. Nidalee basically mastered the language here, while Neeko could barely made herself understood with her strung together sentences, she felt. And even before either opened their mouth, just the way they dressed was telling. Not that either was particularly extravagant in that department; Neeko liked to wear colorful things, yes, but not complicated ones. Just a mottled green shirt and comfortable white shorts, to accompany purple sneakers. If it looked like eye-catching things from the bargain bin... well, clothes don't make the woman. Though that sentiment was getting tested now, even by something as simple as Nidalee's loose, sleeveless shirt and tight track pants. She'd apologized, said she'd gone for a morning jog before she was supposed to meet up, but Neeko certainly wasn't complaining, especially when she noticed the results of that exercise. Nidalee was pretty, and even if she'd always known that, seeing her feel so comfortable in this place that felt so strange to her just cemented that even more somehow.

The girl was snapped to attention by the young man behind the counter, who raised both his hand and his voice to get her attention. "Hey there! Don't think I've seen you around. Any idea what you'll be having?"

Neeko blinked, a bit stunned to be addressed all of a sudden, and somewhat mesmerized by the boy himself. His hair, more specifically, white and defying gravity as it was. People back home had stared when she'd dyed her hair purple, and this was definitely at least one step above that. Then again, she'd seen at least a few other people with similar styling, so maybe it wasn't such an uncommon thing here. She shook her head, finally, though before she could speak, another voice cut in.

"Yo, Ekko! I thought Lillia was in today?" Nidalee leaned against the counter, wiping her hands dry on her shirt. Thankfully it didn't even stain much, given how drenched in sweat it was (why yes, Neeko HAD noticed the way that made it cling to her, and no, it didn't seem to want to leave her mind, either). Still, she felt her sudden nervousness ebb away as the girl approached, and the boy spoke up again.

"Oh, she is. Boss wanted to be sure that Wu wasn't the only who one knew how to man the kitchen, though, so that's what she's doing now." He shrugged, looking back over his shoulder and shouting into the back: "'Ey Lills, say hi to Nidalee!"

What followed was a high-pitched "Eep!", followed by many loud, clanging sounds of things clattering to the floor. The girl poked her head out of the kitchen, and Neeko had her suspicions confirmed. Seems this girl shared her tastes in hair color, so it must not be such an oddity after all. She gave a nervous wave, and a quick and shaky "H-Hi there!" before returning. The boy, Ekko, sighed and let out a low chuckle.

"Think I should go help her out." He stood up straight, nodding to Nidalee. "The usual for you then, I'll imagine. And for your friend...?"

He turned to Neeko, and though that had the butterflies churning in her stomach for a moment, she wasn't about to let this chance go. She wanted to make a good impression on these new people! Nidalee seemed to like them, after all. She put her hand forward and nodded, smiling wide. "Neeko! Is nice to meet you!" There we go! Not even a stutter or anything, this was going well already.

"Right..." He raised an eyebrow and nodded, giving her hand... a slap? Right, she had seen that on TV sometimes, hadn't she? Dangit, Neeko! Before she could say anything more though, her friend had already filled in for her with "She'll just have the same as me.", and then the employee had gone back into the kitchen. Well, she felt that could have gone... better, but she wasn't about to let down by one little thing. They still seemed pretty friendly, after all. At Nidalee's nod, they returned to their table.

"So!" The woman smiled, and Neeko's concerns melted further. Damn, she'd missed her. "I think we managed to at least get a decent look around town and campus, a first impression. What do you think?" She leaned forward, propped on her elbows, and Neeko had to make an effort to keep herself focused on that smile, as opposed to something else entirely. Well, she'd gotten a question, so at least she could keep her mind busy! She cast it back to the last two hours or so...

Summoner's Peak had been a nice little town, with emphasis on the 'little'. Well, Neeko had come from a place even smaller, but even she knew that that sort of thing was a rarity, especially in places she might have called 'the city'. Nidalee had explained that the town was basically just an extension of Summoner's Academy anyhow, so it made sense that there wouldn't be much to it besides a handful of things a bunch of studious 20-somethings would enjoy: cafés, a small mall, a movie theater. There wasn't even much by way of housing, given that the Academy offered dorms to all its students. Neeko certainly got the impression that the campus was more 'lived in', once they'd gotten there after a brief walk through the quiet streets. There were just more people around, for one, but the area they'd arrived in was so nice. A big park, cut through by a clear river, with people relaxing in benches or just laying on the grass. She'd even spotted a few pets, which was always nice. She'd definitely have pet that big golden retriever if Nidalee hadn't called her to go eat just then. She hadn't expected that kinda place, though. It almost reminded her of home, in a way... though the trees were definitely smaller and fewer.

Ultimately, she nodded, slipping back into her native tongue. "I like it. It's... different, but not too much, I think. Not what I was expecting?" It was spoken like a question, though it really wasn't. It was true enough, but only because she hadn't known much of what to expect in the first place. Still, she nodded again. "It could be fun! Do you like it, Nidalee?"

"Yeah, sure!" Another grin, and she leaned back on her chair. "I get what you mean, though. Place is still bigger than back home, but... I dunno, feels a little cramped at times, you ask me. Or... I guess it's more like, there aren't a lot of people, you know? There's not too many new people to meet once you know everyone on campus, really. Though hey, I guess you haven't yet, right? Why don't you-" She was interrupted by... singing? Well, it was more like a man squealing before the actual music began. Neeko caught something about a lion sleeping before Nidalee had fished her phone out of the strap that kept it on her arm and answered it. "What?" She... didn't sound too pleased.

She didn't look it either, a small frown and furrowed brows almost instantly settling onto her face as she heard whoever was on the end of the line. "No, I- Look, I told you th-" She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Would you shut it for a second? I told you I was busy today, didn't I? I don't care that you wanted to do it today, it's not just your decision when we get to do the project. So you can either do it yourself or learn some goddamned patience, alright?!" She clearly didn't want to wait for a response, given that she immediately moved the phone away from her ear, ended the call and turned it off entirely. "Sorry about that." She huffed. "Just... some asshole from my bio class that I'm stuck on a group project with."

Neeko shook her head. She hadn't seen Nidalee like this much, but then again, she'd always gotten along well with everyone when they lived together. Still, it felt like whoever this person was, they must have done something bad to get her acting like this. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"U-Umm?" It wasn't Nidalee who spoke now, but the girl who'd been in the kitchen before, standing awkwardly beside their table. Neeko got the odd, yet distinct impression that she was ready to run away at any moment if need be, which would have been hard, considering she was carrying a very large tray of food. "H-Here's your order, miss. If that's fine, right now! I mean, I can come back!"

Nidalee's expression softened again, and she chuckled, shaking her head. "Now is more than fine, Lills, don't worry about it. You were pretty fast, all in all, really. Didn't you have to clean up some mess in the kitchen?"

As she set the food on the table, she visibly deflated inward. If she'd been an animal, Neeko knew for sure her ears would be drooping down. "Erm, yes, well... I didn't want to risk anything worse happening. The pans fell down by Mr. Yi's spice rack and... E-Ekko said he'd do it. So I just focused on making the food." No longer occupied with holding anything, she seemed quite happy to fiddle with her fingers for a moment, before suddenly perking up to attention (again, Neeko could practically see the animal ears standing up now). "U-Umm, anyway! Sorry, I don't want to interrupt! Eat well! Sorry!" And she zipped back to the kitchen at frankly impressive speed. Seems Neeko had been right after all. She pouted. She didn't even get to introduce herself...

"Well, that's Lillia. Don't worry about her, she's sweet, just... high-strung. I think the job has been doing her some good, breaking her out of her shell. Bit by bit, at least. Anyway!" Nidalee turned back to her friend, that easy smile returned. "Guess food is here! And don't worry about paying, yeah? It's my treat."

Neeko nodded; she'd long learned that contesting such bold claims would get her exactly nowhere with the woman, and that she'd just need to repay her at some other time. Still, as she finally looked down at the food... she did feel a little bad for Nidalee's wallet. It was BIG, and most of that was just meat, albeit meat drenched in a good deal of drippy, melty things. Well, food was food regardless, especially when it was almost free. And it did look kind of good, in a weird way. She picked up the slab of bread and meat like she saw Nidalee do, and took a small bite; to take anything resembling a proper one, Neeko was reasonably sure she'd need to be able to unhinge her jaw. As she set the thing back down on the plate, lest all the squishy insides of the burger drip out, she... died. That's what it must have been, right? She'd died and gone to paradise. There was no other explanation as to food this good being in her mouth, no way that whatever being created the universe would be able to part with it and hand it down to humanity. Well... she wasn't about to let them have it back, that was for sure.

Nidalee laughed across the table, hand over her mouth to keep herself from letting any of her own portion of the divine goodness fall out as she swallowed. "Hey, calm down Neeks, it's not a speed eating contest or anything. Man, I forgot you've never had a cheeseburger before... we really need some more food back home, huh?"

"Whsh wrung wsh zhe food back hom?" Even now, Neeko wasn't about to just STOP eating the incredible thing (cheeseburger, she'd have to remember that). Still, she remembered what Nana had taught her, or at least some of it. She got a napkin and wiped her mouth, swallowing to speak again. "I think it's fine... this is just really good, also!" And then she went back to eating. She wouldn't allow her mouth to be empty for a good while yet.

"Heh, sure." She took another bite. "Oh, wight. Ugh, shorry." And she herself swallowed. "I was gonna say- there's going to be some party at the girl's dorm soon. It's not really my sort of thing, but I know a few folks going. Seems like it'd be a good place to make friends, right?"

Neeko perked up; that it did! She'd always enjoyed the little parties they'd have back home, especially whenever one of the kids' birthdays would roll around, and everyone would come together to chat, catch up and enjoy some good food. This seemed like the perfect way to meet everyone that she'd be spending the next few years with, so she had no reason to refuse. Of course, that didn't mean she was gonna stop and swallow to talk, so she opted to nod enthusiastically instead.

Nidalee giggled again, speaking before continuing on with her own food. "Alright, alright, you enjoy your food then. I'll get together all the details and text you later, alright?" And with that, she began eating in earnest as well, and the two kept on with their lunch in blissful, cheeseburger-y silence. If this was just her first few hours here, Neeko had a good feeling about Summoner's Academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, an actual proper chapter! I'm glad some people seem to have enjoyed my little teaser-prologue, but this should be more indicative of what the rest of the story will be like! I'm still fiddling around with chapter lengths, seeing what will feel right or not (we were supposed to have our other main character here in the first real chapter, but she's coming, don't worry~), but that's all minor details! Let me know what you all thought, and I'll see you all in a few days!


End file.
